I really liked a lot of things about Lost Odyssey which made me really despise the parts of it I didn't. The short stories are fantastic, but the fact that they're not woven into the lengthy gameplay was a huge disappointment, and I kinda feel like this is the game that opened the doors to a lot of narrative choices like that in other games. I know that things like "budgets" and "time constraints" happen but still, but when I think about this game, more than just about any JRPG out there, I think about missed opportunities.
I don't know if I'd go so far as to agree with you on the soundtrack being as good as the Final Fantasy ones, but that is purely personal taste. It was a really, really good OST. The fuckin' kids singing part, though, turned me way off. The kids in this game were like nails on a chalkboard, but then again, I hate having kids in JRPG parties in general, so maybe that's just me.
That leveling system was pretty great, and a natural extension of what was done in games like Suikoden, which had a more rudimentary way of doing that. I remember liking the combat but it was never the high point, which to me was the world, if not necessarily the world-building (see my comments about the implementation of the stories).
I guess I just really wish this had been a novel. But then again, we wouldn't get that OST with a book, so... hm.
That is a hell of a list. God, I love crankin it. I'm sure the game is fun too.
Ba dum tisssssss.
But honestly, great read. Really stoked we got so much good TMNT stuff this year. Sports Story sounds like a pass for me, which is too bad. That and Dying Light 2 were my most anticipated games this year and eh.
Great list, Rorie. Hope life calms down for you and the GB (and Gamespot) crews.
Haven't seen or played a lot of these, but Andor might be the thing to eventually get me to subscribe to Disney Plus. I like the Star Wars universe at large but I'm well and truly burned out on everything needed to be joined to the Skywalker hip, and this sounds like more of what I'm looking for.
I haven't read anything fantasy in years and I need to. Glad to see Daniel Abraham is putting out new stuff. I think the best books I read all year have to be Craig Johnson's "Hell and Back" (Wyoming cowboy sheriff wakes up in a literal ghost town - Johnson's writing is damn near poetic and he's one of the best mystery writers out there) and Jason Pargin's "If This Book Exists, You're in the Wrong Universe," one of his John Dies at the End novels. Both good stuff. I can't believe I haven't gotten around to Emily Mandel's latest, since she's a favorite, but I will, eventually.
I would kill for a proper new Might and Magic game that recaptured the magic of VI. Somone's going to say, yeah, it exists and it's called Morrowind, and okay, fair. But that game was well beyond its time, and every bit of it was a joy to explore, bugs and all.
@arbitrarywater: I honestly thought this might be the last year I game on anything but my phone and my Switch and tehn I bought a Steam Deck.
But to my credit, that's my favorite console/handheld thing ever. Not even close. It's amazing and it was worth the two months of neglecting my body of vegetables and good food (no it wasn't, I'm insane, don't listen to me).
So there's a lot I love about Club Dead's craziness (especially early Ron Swanson hamming it up), but it comes with a massive caveat that A) anyone interested in playing it should probably just look up YouTube videos instead, and not just for the technical reasons but also because that game's puzzle and death system is very much of that era, and B) big spoilers ahead - it has a dumb, potentially hurtful trop in that the villain is a "crazy transgendered person."
But it really is fantastically weird and well worth the two or three hours it'll take to watch all of it.
Also, completely agreed with your assessment of Zork. That game is well worth a look too, mostly as a curiosity of the era. I really wouldn't mind a Zork retrospective of some kind either on Giant Bomb or Nextlander (which is where it probably belongs, let's be honest). It's a fascinating series.
Anyways, good read, Zeep. I may not comment as much but I'm always enjoying your blogs. Have a great New Year!
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